This application relates generally to disc drives and more particularly to a system for supplying a disc drive with a gas other than air.
A disc drive typically includes a base to which various components of the disc drive are mounted. A top cover cooperates with the base to form a housing that defines an internal clean environment for the disc drive. Sealing and filling the clean environment of disc drives with gases other than air can enhance their performance. For example, low-density inert gases such as helium can reduce the aerodynamic drag between the discs and their associated read/write heads by a factor of approximately five-to-one compared to operating in air. This reduced drag results in reduced power requirements for the spindle motor. A helium filled drive thus uses substantially less power than a comparable disc drive that operates in an air environment.
Despite the advantages of helium filled drives, such drives have not been commercially successful. This is mainly due to problems associated with the helium leaking from the disc drives over time. As the helium leaks out, air leaks in causing undesirable effects in the operation of the disc drives and possibly causing the disc drives to fail. For example, the increased concentration of air may increase the forces on the read/write head due to turbulent airflow within a drive and it may cause noise and/or the heads to fly at too great a distance above the discs.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system that can effectively supply a disc drive with a gas other than air, such as helium, during use. The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
Against this backdrop the present invention has been developed. An embodiment of the present invention is a disc drive gas supply system for supplying a gas other than air to an enclosed environment containing a data storage device such as a data storage disc. The system includes a source of gas other than air, such as a pressurized tank, which can be connected to the enclosed environment. A pressure sensor connected to the enclosed environment produces a pressure signal, such as an electrical, pneumatic, or mechanical signal, that is representative of the pressure within the enclosed environment. A control module receives the pressure signal and connects the source of gas other than air to the enclosed environment if the pressure within the enclosed environment is within a predetermined pressure range. When the pressure within the enclosed environment is above the predetermined pressure range, the control module disconnects or isolates the source of gas other than air from the enclosed environment. The predetermined pressure range is preferably above ambient pressure to prevent air from leaking into the enclosed environment.
The system can be utilized with a second enclosed environment that contains a second disc. In that case, the source of gas other than air is also selectively connectable to the second enclosed environment. Alternatively, the enclosed environment may enclose a plurality of separate disc drives each defining an internal environment. The enclosed environment and the internal environments of the disc drives can contain the gas other than air to further prevent air from entering the internal environments of the disc drives.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a disc drive shipping and storage package. The package includes a disc drive defining an internal enclosed environment containing a gas other than air. The package also includes a sealed storage container containing the disc drive and defining an external enclosed environment that also contains the gas other than air to prevent air from leaking into the internal enclosed environment of the disc drive.
These and various other features as well as advantages which characterize the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.